Kite Making

1
Kite Making

• Art Docent Project 2007
• Lost Arts Found Again

2
The History of Kites

• Kite making was known to have started in China
  over 3000 years ago
• Chinese kites often take the shape of birds
• The traditional Chinese kite is made from bamboo
  and silk
• Kite making spread to other parts of Asia and
  eventually the world.
• Kites were used for social
  festivals

3
Kite Fighting

• A tradition began in Asia to fly kites for
  competition
• The object of the competition was for your kite
  to cut the strings of the other kites until
  only one kite remains
• Once a kite is cut, it flies thru the air and
  anyone who catches it becomes its new owner.
• Fighter kites are usually diamond shaped
• Smaller kites often defeat large kites
• Special string is used on these kites

4
Kites in Science

• Kites are used for many other purposes such as
  areal photography, radio transmission, weather
  observation and forecasting
• Benjamin Franklin is rumored to have used a kite
  to test his theory that lightning had an
  electrical charge. His kite picked up
  electrical charges at the fringe of a cloud.
  Had it actually
  been hit by lightning, he would not
  have survived.
• This is a good reminder to never fly
  your kite near power lines!

5
Kites in Sports

• A new sport is catching on and its called Kite
  Surfing. You may have seen these large wing
  shaped kites on Lake Washington.

6
Worlds Biggest Kite

• The largest kite ever flown is the Magabite,
  which is 210 ft. long (including tails) and 72
  ft. wide, with a total flat area of 10,043 ft².
  Designed by Peter Lynn (New Zealand), it was
  flown for 22 min. 57 sec. At the Bristol
  International Kite Festival, England, on
  Sept. 7, 1997.

7
Kite Festivals

• One of the most famous kite festivals is held in
  Washington State at Long Beach Peninsula
  during the 3rd week in August.

8
Japanese Carp Kite

• These kites are flown on May 5th Childrens day
  in Japan.

9
Tetrahedral Kite

• By linking several tetrahedrons (4 sided
  triangles) together and covering two of the sides
  with tissue paper, these lightweight kites take
  flight.